Congratulations to Michelle Stelmach, SWS, for passing the Spanish Wine Scholar exam with highest honors!
About Michelle:
I have become a wine enthusiast over the past dozen years or so. And since I enjoy learning new things all the time, taking courses in wine education made sense. And for me, my love of Spain as a country made it easy to choose the Spanish Wine Scholar program. I have walked the pilgrimage (Camino de Santiago) and got to walk through some amazing regions! (And I’m sure some of the vineyards right along the camino path are used to losing a couple of bunches of grapes to some hungry pilgrims.
I started with level 1 in the WSET, then completed my level 3 WSET. Now I have the SWS under my belt. The SWS adds a great deal of depth to my understanding of Spanish wines and the lovely country itself. I considered taking another course, perhaps FWS or IWS, but I need to consider the cost and time. I did spend a lot of time studying and memorizing to get my SWS with highest honors.
I would enjoy working in the wine industry, but as yet have not found exactly where I fit in. I do live in a smaller community where there are not too many options. I host the occasional wine tasting party with friends which is always well received. Having earned this certificate definitely boosts my confidence regarding Spanish wine!
